CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Mayor Brandon Johnson is attempting to push the beleaguered head of Chicago Public Schools out the door.
The mayor told CPS CEO Pedro Martinez on Wednesday that he wanted him to resign, sources close to the situation said.
As part of his amended contract signed off by the Board of Ed in 2022, there must be six months’ notice of termination without cause. After that transition period, Martinez would be paid nearly $140,00 in severance.
His contract expires on June 30, 2026.
The board could only fire Martinez for cause if they can prove misconduct, criminal activity, job failure, fraud or wrongdoing.
In a written statement, a spokeswoman for the mayor said, “the administration doesn't comment publicly on personnel matters.”
“Mayor Johnson has a clear vision for public education that includes fully funded schools, access to the arts, athletics and special education resources and a nurse and social worker in every building.”
Martinez wrote in a message to parents, he’s “100 percent focused on building on the positive momentum of the new school year and implementing the district’s new five-year strategic plan.”
The news comes after several months of friction between Johnson and Martinez.
As they rang in the new school year together several weeks ago, Martinez was asked about his future with the district. He acknowledged that there’s been tension over the budget, but he tried to focus on the positives and touted CPS’ improvements in reading scores and graduation rates.
“I’ll just tell you what I’ve told my team and [what] I would tell our parents: I know this school year’s going to be our most successful ever,” he said. “The amount of resources we invested in our schools, we’re building off success.”
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates did not join them at the Hermosa elementary school.
In an August Chicago Tribune editorial, Davis Gates accused Martinez of driving the district over the edge of a fiscal cliff, which she said he saw coming with the end of federal COVID relief funds.
Last month, the Sun-Times reported that the mayor is looking to replace Martinez after he declined the mayor’s plan to take out a loan to cover a pension payment and a new teachers contract.
Davis Gates criticized Martinez’s performance in her Tribune opinion piece. She said he rehired less than half of the 300 teaching assistants that he laid off in the spring of 2024. One in five CPS schools, she added, do not have a library or librarian.
Then Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Martinez CPS CEO in September of 2021.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WBBM Newsradio for an update.
WBBM’s Nancy Harty and Mike Krauser contributed to this report.
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